In IPL 2026 the Kolkata Knight Riders led by their captain Ajinkya Rahane found themselves in a situation no one saw coming. A team known for its fighting spirit and big-match performances is now struggling to find its rhythm and the pressure is clearly building with every game.
Fans who once expected dominant performances are now witnessing a tough phase making this one of the most challenging seasons in the franchise’s history.
Things aren’t going well for Ajinkya Rahane this season. His team Kolkata Knight Riders is struggling badly in IPL 2026 and hasn’t won a single match in their first five games something that has never happened to them before.
Why has Rahane been fined
On top of that Rahane has now been punished for breaking rules during the match against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The issue was a slow over-rate meaning the team didn’t complete their overs on time.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) fined him ₹12 lakh. Since this was the team’s first offence this season under the IPL rules the fine wasn’t higher.
Rahane is the fourth captain this season to be fined for the same reason. Earlier Shreyas Iyer was penalised twice while Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad were also fined once each.
Losses Keep Piling Up: KKR hit the bottom
Overall, things have gone from bad to worse for Kolkata Knight Riders. They lost their opening match to Mumbai Indians then suffered a heavy defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
One match against Punjab Kings ended with no result due to rain but they couldn’t bounce back and lost again to Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings. Right now, they are at the bottom of the points table.
In fact, Kolkata has now lost six matches in a row (including games from last season). This equals their second-worst losing streak ever while their worst remains nine straight losses back in 2009.